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Gatchalian wants construction workers covered with mandatory accident insurance
Gatchalian wants construction workers covered with mandatory accident insurance
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian has filed a bill seeking to provide construction workers with mandatory insurance coverage in consideration of the hazards they face within their workplace.
In filing Senate Bill No. 821 or the proposed Construction Workers Insurance Act, Gatchalian seeks to require employers of construction workers to provide mandatory group personal accident insurance coverage to guarantee quick and efficient delivery of indemnity to injured workers.
In the explanatory note of the bill, the senator said “the insurance coverage shall compensate a reasonable amount for an accident that would cause the disability or even the death of a worker.”
“I believe that providing our construction workers with insurance coverage will compel their employers to adopt better safety mechanisms that will ensure the safety and security of their workers,” Gatchalian said in a statement.
“Further, this will ensure quick and efficient delivery of indemnity to construction workers, which is the main intent of this measure,” he further said.
Under the bill, the duration of the insurance shall start from the commencement of the service of the construction worker until the completion of the construction project or upon the termination of the employment contract.
Employers would also be tasked to pay the premiums to the insurance company and shall not deduct it from the wages of the construction workers.
The proposed minimum insurance coverage should be at least P75,000 for natural death, P100,000 for accidental death, P150,000 for death in the line of work, P50,000 for loss of both hands, P50,000 for loss of both feet, P50,000 for loss of one hand and sight of one eye, and P50,000 for loss of one foot and sight of one eye.
Also under the bill, construction workers will also be entitled to receive medical benefits in cases where the illness is directly attributable to or was developed in the course of employment.
“Hindi maikakaila na sa maraming pagkakataon, ang trabaho ng mga construction workers ay mapanganib kung kaya’t kailangan nating pangalagaan ang kanilang kaligtasan at kalusugan (It cannot be denied that in many cases, the work of construction workers is dangerous so we need to take care of their safety and health),” Gatchalian said.